Luscombe

I am new to the forum and starting the hunt for an S2000.
Are there any owners on this forum in the Madison/Milwaukee area that would care to share their ownership experience with me.

Looked in the club area of the forum and did not see much activity in the Midwest, maybe I missed something.

Been an Alfa owner-restorer for years and ready to move into a different vehicle.

Lunch is on me.

Gary
Gary

TsukubaCody

I'm in Milwaukee.

What questions do you have?

Luscombe

Not sure where to start with the questions. More general than specific at this time.
Interested in knowing more about first hand ownership experience, parts availability, and those kinds of things.
I get the technical support side from the forum and have been very active on the Alfa forum for years.
It's more of a coffee and cars discussion specific to S2000.

When I go forward with a purchase, I want to make sure I know what I am getting and not regret waiting for option B rather than taking first one to come along.

TsukubaCody

Mine has been good. Zero issues (so far) in getting parts, but I haven't really needed any as the car has been entirely reliable. The S2000 was the car I wanted as a kid and in this instance meeting my hero has gone well.

As mine is an AP1 it does burn some oil (a quart or so everything thousand miles) but beyond that, the car is stellar. If you drive one & really enjoy how it feels, I recommend the car whollly.

Luscombe

Thanks for the follow up.
I am leaning towards an AP2. I currently have a 2L in my Alfa that runs at high rpm at highway speeds. Looking to avoid that going forward. From what I have read the AP2 have same torque & HP just at lower rpm.
I have not driven one yet, that is the next step

End005

Take it for what it is...

I'm on the border of MN and WI. I've had my 2002 S2000 for roughly 5 years. I purchased it with 68k miles. It now has 88k miles. I autocross it. That's pretty much the only time I drive the car with the occasional drive to work and/or around town. I've also done a couple of hpde locally at our DCTC site. To sum it up, this car gets driven pretty hard if and when it does get driven.
There hasn't been a mechanical failure to date with it. I change my oil and filter on a regular basis; I've changed the spark plugs once since I've owned; I've replaced my OEM brake pads after a HPDE with OEM AP2 brake pads; and flushed in DOT 4 brake fluid. This car has been extremely solid. When I bought the car, the previous owner had run Mobil 1. I changed to Castrol and this car does not burn any oil. Again, I drive it hard.

A common issue with the 99-03 S2000s are the cracked intake retainers from valve float or a mechanical over-rev (??). When I swapped mine out for the AP2 retainers, none of mine were cracked and looked perfectly fine. Another common issue with S2000s are the timing chain tensioners. I've never had an issue with my 2002, but I decided to replace it anyway with a Ballade sport unit. Worked great. With an intake, header, exhaust, and a greddy emanage base tune, the car made 235whp at a dyno day. I was pretty shocked! The CR/AP2 definitely has more power down low though.

Now, unto my 2008 CR. This car is fairly new to me still. 24k miles. At the very least, this is the 'better' car. By 'better' I mean its smoother, quieter, feels more rigid and solid, the music sounds better as well. Overall, its more far more comfortable than my 2002. BUT, the CR is less fun to drive than my 2002. Granted, the CR is completely stock. However, when I first purchased my 2002, I couldn't wait to get to drive it again. I was like a fat kid thinking, wanting, craving a piece of cake. The CR...not so much. I have ZERO. And its not because of the rarity. The CR just doesn't excite me how the AP1 does.

So, in short, to me, the AP1 is more fun, more raw, and more exciting to drive than an AP2/CR. And if you maintain it like you should, the car will be absolutely excellent all around for a very long time.

Luscombe

Thanks for the response End005.
Let's meet, I'd like to drive both your cars to campare

I know what you mean by spirited driving. I built my Spider for that and it is fun to drive for short durations and an absolute blast around town. That said, it does lack a lot of creature comforts and is a small cabin.
I hope to find the S2000 much more conducive to longer drives and even more enjoyable to drive.

I bought two Spider projects 9 years ago with the idea I would restore both. It took me 4 years to get the first one finished. I did 95% of the work. Hired out the head and transmission work and painting. It was a complete "frame up" restoration including a high performance motor and lightweight drive train. It is responsive but I have lost the desire to finish the 2nd project and will be getting rid of it. My plan is to get into an S2000 but not a project. I hope to find more guys like you who are willing to share their experiences. That is a big help for me.

I have no desire to track the car so my end use will emphasize different aspect of the the car. It is very exciting that the performance makes it a good track car.

Luscombe

Any other S2000 owners in the Madison/Milwaukee area?

End005

Not a problem.

Sounds to me the AP2 would be a better fit for you. The AP2 is just a really well refined version with more low end useable power.

Did I mention I drove the CR 1200 miles home? Not once did I get uncomfortable. That was 19 hours straight. I could have gone further. Had it been my AP1, I would have rather shipped the car.

Luscombe

That kind of feed back is priceless.
I couldn't do 1,200 miles in the Spider. I really would like to but it isn't comfortable enough.
So the AP2 is where I will start.

Thanks End005!